Blakley Program

The Blakley Program for Evangelical Studies was made possible by a generous gift from Thomas Blakley (1925 - 2000). Mr. Blakley was a General Electric engineer who after retirement earned a degree in religion at Roanoke College. Throughout his adult life, he was active in Southwest Virginia churches, schools, and civic life. The Program reflects his desire to contribute to the expression of faith persectives in the public square. The Program is under the direction of Dr. Gerald McDermott, Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion.

Since its inception in 2004, the Blakley Program has helped sponsor the following events:

• a lecture series by evangelical theologian John G. Stackhouse, Jr., "Christ and Culture--Hostile or Friendly?" (2005)
• a lecture series by historian Mark Noll, "The Explosion of Christianity in the Global South" (2006)
• a lecture series by New Testament scholar N.T. Wright, "Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?" (2007)
• a lecture by historian Harry S. Stout, "The Religion of Jamestown--the First Puritan Settlement" (2007)
• a debate between Richard Cizek (National Association of Evangelicals) and Thomas Derr (Smith College) on global warming (2008)